Optical Fibre Spool With Overlapping Wrap Segments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional spooling techniques for optical fibers face challenges such as binding, snagging, and breakage due to their high flexural rigidity and lack of toughness, especially when deployed in wellbores for sensing and communication operations, where extended lengths and small diameters are required, leading to issues with despooling and potential fiber damage.
Innovation Solution
A spool design featuring partially overlapping wrap segments with alternating axial directions, where each segment is wound in a specific pattern to minimize axial length and prevent tangling, providing support and resistance to fiber unraveling, and allowing for controlled deployment with reduced risk of breakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If conventional spooling techniques are used for optical fibre, then the fibre can be wound onto the spool, but the high flexural rigidity causes the fibre to spring radially outward and become tangled
Solution Approach 1:
The spool is divided into multiple wrap segments arranged axially along the spool axis, with each segment containing a limited number of wrap layers. This segmentation prevents the entire spool from acting as a single elastic unit that springs outward, thereby reducing the tangling caused by elastic recovery while maintaining effective fibre winding.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the spool are given different structural characteristics through the wrap segment design. Each wrap segment has constrained outer layers that provide local support to underlying layers, creating varying degrees of constraint along the axial length of the spool to prevent elastic springback and tangling.
2Length of moving object
If extended lengths of optical fibre are packaged within the tool, then the fibre length requirement is met, but the spool axial length becomes significant and causes issues during despooling
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple wrap segments are arranged axially along the spool axis with adjacent segments partially overlapping. This nested arrangement allows extended fibre lengths to be packaged within a compact spool geometry, reducing the overall axial length while maintaining the required fibre length capacity.
3Shape
If multiple layers are wound on a bobbin traversing the entire length, then the spool structure is formed, but the large unconstrained outer layer is susceptible to elastic spring recovery and underlying layers follow suit
Solution Approach 1:
The spool structure is segmented into multiple wrap segments with limited axial extent each. This prevents the formation of a large unconstrained outer layer that would be susceptible to elastic spring recovery, as each segment's outer layers are constrained by the limited axial distance they span.
Solution Approach 2:
Each wrap segment provides local constraint to its outer layers through the partial overlap with adjacent segments. This distributed local constraint throughout the spool structure prevents the elastic spring recovery effect from propagating through the entire spool, addressing the issue at each local segment rather than globally.
4Stability of the object's composition
If end flanges are added to prevent slippage, then the windings are secured, but the end winding may become trapped or pinched against the flange preventing despooling or causing breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The wrap segments are designed to partially overlap adjacent segments axially, creating a distributed constraint system that secures windings throughout the spool length without requiring end flanges. This eliminates the risk of end windings becoming trapped against flanges while maintaining winding stability through the overlapping segment structure.
5Ease of operation
If the fibre launches parallel to the winding axis, then the deployment path is simplified, but the despooled fibre drags across and disturbs the entire length of underlying windings
Solution Approach 1:
The wrap segments are arranged axially with partial overlap, creating a stepped or staggered configuration that guides the despooled fibre away from the underlying windings. This segmentation reduces the disturbance to underlying layers during despooling compared to a continuous full-length winding arrangement.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The spool design effectively manages extended fiber lengths, reduces the risk of tangling and breakage, and allows for efficient deployment with minimal disturbance to underlying windings, enhancing the reliability and longevity of the optical fiber system.
Implementation Method 1
the higher flexural rigidity or axial bending stiffness of optical fibres may cause a wound fibre, especially a tightly wound fibre, to more readily seek to adopt a larger radius of curvature (i.e., an elastic recovery effect causing the fibre to 'spring' or unravel radially outwardly into a larger circumference)
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 5~8
AI summary
A spool (14) of optical fibre comprises a spool axis and a length of optical fibre (58) wound around the spool axis to form a plurality of wrap segments (82, 98, 100,...) arranged axially along the spool axis, wherein adjacent wrap segments partially overlap in the axial direction. Each wrap segment (82, 98, 100,...) comprises a first wrap layer (66, 88) wound in a first axial direction (62, 84) over a first axial distance, and a second wrap layer (74, 96) wound over the first wrap layer in a reverse second axial direction (68, 90) over a second axial distance greater than the first axial distance, the optical fibre (58) extending from the second wrap layer (74,96) of one wrap segment (82, 98) to the first wrap layer (88,...) of an adjacent wrap segment (96, 100). The spool (14) may be mounted in a device (10) such that the optical fibre (58) can be despooled and deployed from the device (10).